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樹倒猢猻散

简树倒猢狲散 · 繁樹倒猢猻散

Mandarin · pinyin shù dǎo hú sūn sàn

When the tree topples the monkeys scatter. (idiom); fig. an opportunist abandons an unfavorable cause
Rats leave a sinking ship.

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Characters in this entry

樹: shù · tree; plant; set up, establish
倒: dào · fall over; lie down; take turns
猢: hú · a kind of monkey found in western China
猻: Look up this written character
散: sàn · scatter, disperse, break up
树: shù · tree; plant; set up, establish
狲: sūn · monkey

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–1–4 · shu4 dao3 hu2 sun1 san4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

樹倒猢猻散 · find source passages ↗ · 树倒猢狲散 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

syu6 dou2 wu4 syun1 saan3

Cantonese word readings for 樹倒猢猻散. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

proverb

(figurative) When a leader loses power, his/her followers disperse.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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